


The Rules

by GG_Ladybug



Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [5]
Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Danny Fenton Needs A Hug, Dissection, Drabble, Gen, Ghost Zone (Danny Phantom), Ghosts helping out other ghosts, Implied/Referenced Torture, One Shot, POV Danny Fenton, Protective Danny Fenton, Sad with a Happy Ending, Science Experiments, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 08:42:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29257653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GG_Ladybug/pseuds/GG_Ladybug
Summary: Even Ghosts have etiquette. Especially when it comes to the unfortunate situation of science experiments(A Danny Phantom Drabble that has been in my computer since 2010)
Relationships: Danny Fenton & Everyone, Danny Fenton & Jazz Fenton, Danny Fenton & Vlad Masters
Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1794553
Comments: 3
Kudos: 129
Collections: Bad Things Happen, Love dan





	The Rules

In society, we have these unspoken rules of conduct. It can't be helped. It comes from living in a civilized world. Even when you fight against societal norms your hardest, somewhere deep down, you know how far you can go. You can draw a line. Everyone has one, believe it or not. Even the most insane.

The unwritten rules of behaviour are infinite in number, finely shaded, and subtle to the last fraction of a degree. They are not to be broken. If broken, the rules of forgiveness leading to re-establishment are equally of air and iron as Hal Porter once said. If these exist in the human plain, the same goes for the Ghost Zone.

A general understanding and agreement was well known, but no one particularly wanted to put it into official words, for that would make it real. You can’t ignore a situation if there was the a plan should it happen. The idea now forever looming over you. Even if not official, they all followed it. Every last one. No matter how evil or how human they could be. What was this unspoken agreement to unite them all so you ask?

No matter the circumstance or the grudge, the moment a ghost stumbled through a portal with Y shaped stitches on their chest, you best drop everything to help them. Sworn foes even with the worst of pasts would band together if it meant helping each other. Every ghost feared dissection more then each other.

Daniel wasn’t even fully ghost, and he knew of such. Which is why he asks no questions when a ghost or two would stumble towards him in search of help. His reputation of heroics apparently already proceeding him to those fresh out of the clasp of the Guys In White. He’d assist them and get them to the right places in the Ghost Zone for healing.

This is also why he doesn’t say a word when he goes down into the lab hurriedly after hearing from his parents they’d caught the fabled Wisconsin Ghost earlier in the day. There is no after thoughts as he freed him as quickly as possible. Not even as he opened the portal and dragged him inside the Ghost Zone for the healers before he damn near passed out and ended up reverting forms.

The ghosts he past say nothing too. Assisting him along the way by joining his side and acting as a second prop up for the half conscious elder. Daniel decides not to talk to his parents in any manner apart from professional after that. Keeping conversations and interactions to a bare minimum, opting to express his displeasure at their scientific ways as a route to do so unsuspiciously. 

“They’re intelligent living vessels. We can’t know they don’t feel pain or emotion.” There would always be some half baked answer to that. Things as good as guesses for that matter. They evidently click on they can’t convince him otherwise, since they’re also keen to avoid conversations nowadays in hopes to avoid such subject.

There were always attempts to bond, and family meetings about him drawing away from them, but he always brought the experiments back up before it could get very far. He tells Jazz what happened when she comes back for the summer holidays. She follows his boycott in stead.

Eventually, his parents cave at the silent treatment and swear not to dissect ever again if they didn’t believe in it. He’s happy for that much, but it’s really just a test of time. He isn’t overly fond of the idea of finding out himself anyway.

They still act cold. Promising not to do it again doesn’t erase the fact it happened. Daniel’s pink and red stained shirt he had to throw away that time ago proved as such. Whenever Vlad calls now, he doesn’t hang up. Instead playing the role of annoyed nemesis and fighting when due as though nothing had changed. Never speak about it. Not unless they’re ready and want to. It was just another mannerism they all had acquired from doing this rodeo so many times in the past.

Of course, Jazz had gone on a psychology rant about PTSD and the need for some trained professionals in the Ghost Zone immediately. That much was obvious, but really what could they do? Kidnap a few therapists and rant to them every so often? Ridiculous. It wasn’t like you could even go incognito as human and casually tell one you were dissected anyhow. Not without the police coming to investigate the claim. Having each other was better then nothing.

That still doesn’t change the fact Vlad’s plans have steered entirely away from replacing his father to down right revenge on the both of them effective immediately from recovery. Whatever love held before a mere tale of the past and evaporated. Daniel can’t say he blamed the fruitloop. He doesn’t even say the don’t deserve it, or he’s insane, because it’s a well founded rage. He would’ve done the same.

Other ghosts were similar. Most changes were unnoticeable unless found by certain events. Suddenly they might avoid hunters like the plague, or flinch whenever they see a sharp object. He’d even spotted a few obsession changes, wishing to lash out at the whole of humanity after their ideal was the most common.

Danny Phantom was becoming the face of the agreement. When worried for an acquaintances, you could go to him and express concerns for their safety had they gone missing when roaming the Earth. The moment dissection was implied, all defences were dropped without further care. No one uses it as a ruse. They know better.

Skulker wasn’t after his pelt that day. Walker doesn’t arrest anyone for trespassing or petty offences. Ember’s only ambition for the day is to play a soothing melody for the victim as they walked or were carried to safety. No one is fearful or angry at whoever is brought along. Not today. Not for a while. 

This is because of the unspoken rule, the rule that applied to everyone, yes even halfas. Not even beings with dubious pasts or intentions deserve to be cut open while aware, let alone without pain medication. Ghosts rarely banded together, but when they do...

There will certainly be one hell of a reason for it


End file.
